Building drought resilience by scaling out farming practices that will enhance the productive capacity of sandy soil landscapes

Project Location
SA, VIC, NSW
Project Manager
Naomi Scholz
Start Date
April 2022
Finish Date
June 2024
Funding Source
Future Drought Fund Soils & Landscape Grant and GRDC
Funding Amount
$1,095,000

Summary

This project will enhance the drought resilience of farmers who manage 3 million hectares of sandy soils in the low-medium rainfall landscape of southeast Australia.

This will be achieved through the adoption of practices that enhance the productive capacity of sandy soils by overcoming constraints including water repellence & compacted layers that prevent root growth & access to moisture & nutrients.

Practices proven to work in small-scale trials will be scaled-out at 16 demonstration sites to build farmers’ confidence across an extensive landscape of the Eyre Peninsula, Upper Yorke Peninsula, Mallee & Southeast regions.

Case studies will be used to document outcomes from sites, with this information extended directly to 400 farmers through 17 events implemented by a consortium of grower groups. The project will also disseminate case studies using a digital extension hub & established social media networks to ensure maximum impact with farmers managing sandy soils across Australia.

Project partners:

The consortium is made up of 4 grower groups and a university:

  • Ag Innovation & Research Eyre Peninsula (AIR EP)
  • Mallee Sustainable Farming (MSF)
  • MacKillop Farm Management Group (MFMG)
  • Northern Sustainable Soils (NSS)
  • University of South Australia

Delivery partners include:

  • PIRSA
  • GRDC
  • CSIRO
  • Frontier Farming Systems
  • Trengove Consulting
  • Soil Function Consulting

The project has been funded through the Future Drought Fund’s Drought Resilient Soils and Landscapes grants program and the Grains Research & Development Corporation, and is supported by the SA Drought Resilience and Adoption Hub.

Useful resources:

FACT SHEETS

A series of fact sheets have been produced in an earlier GRDC funded project: Increasing production on sandy soils in low and medium rainfall areas of the Southern Region, GRDC Project CSP00203.

Seeding sandy soils - Managing water repellence at seeding: moisture access strategies

Soil wetter - Managing water repellence at seeding: soil wetting agents

Inclusion ripping technology - Understanding passive inclusion ripping

Ripping technology - Technology considerations for cost-effective subsoil loosening

Soil mixing by spading

 

Check out the Sandy Soil App produced as part of the GRDC Sands Impact project, for all the trial results across all sites and regions.

Sandy soil App - Sandbox

 

Play Video
Play Video

You Might Also Like

EP Ag Vision 2050: A shared Vision for farming on the Eyre Peninsula in 2050

Across August and September, a wide range of farming and agricultural research stakeholders were consulted for their views on farming on the EP in 2050. Their perspectives were sought to…

Learn More

Effective control of brome grass in the southern and western cropping zones

By May 2027, the economic impact of brome grass will be reduced by 10% across the low rainfall zones of the Western and Southern Regions through the implementation of specific…

Learn More

De-risking the seeding program

De-risking the seeding program. Adoption of key management practices for the success of dry early sown crops.   Dry  and  early  sowing  of  cereal  crops  is  a  practice  commonly  employed …

Learn More

Packaging Soil CRC tools to enhance the extension and adoption of improved soil management practices

This project will support four grower groups (including AIR EP) to critically evaluate their current extension practices used to engage farmers and to identify which extension tools developed in Program…

Learn More

Soil CRC Agricultural Farm Practices Survey 2024

This project considers the actual and intended practice of a broad base of farmers across Australian farming systems via a mail-based survey. The survey will be a modified but largely…

Learn More

Matching soil performance indicators to farming systems

The Soil CRC Scoping Study on soil performance indicators (Project 2.1.01) concluded that there was no universal suite of indicators that could measure soil performance, but rather that indicators should…

Learn More

EP Ag Chats – Connecting Generations of Farmers on Eyre Peninsula

Production of a podcast series of six episodes connecting the younger generation of Eyre Peninsula farmers with the experienced generation of Eyre Peninsula farmers. This would be series 2 of…

Learn More

Resilient EP Documentation

Learn More

AIR EP Member Days 2023: Nutrition

Over 60 growers, researchers and advisors attended AIR EP Members days on 5 & 6 July. Upper Eyre Peninsula was hosted at Wudinna, with Lower Eyre Peninsula at Cummins. Attendees……

Learn More

Eyre Peninsula internship in applied grains research 2024

2024 Internship to be hosted by EPAG Research. This project will annually engage a recent graduate to work for 12 months as an intern/trainee in applied grains research, development and…

Learn More